The Number System of Ancient Japanese

The number system of ancient Japanese is not used now except 1 through 10, which are sometimes used as alternate vocabulary. Modern Japanese uses a different number system imported from Chinese. The Modern column below means the modern pronunciation of ancient Japanese numbers.

Number

Reading

Meaning

Ancient

Modern

0

?

?

-

1

pitotu

hitotsu

1 obj.

2

putatu

futatsu

2 obj.

3

mitu

mittsu

3 obj.

4

yotu

yottsu

4 obj.

5

itutu

itsutsu

5 obj.

6

mutu

muttsu

6 obj.

7

nanatu

nanatsu

7 obj.

8

yatu

yattsu

8 obj.

9

kokonotu

kokonotsu

9 obj.

10

towo

tô

10

11

towo amari pitotu

tô amari hitotsu

10 and 1 obj.

12

towo amari putatu

tô amari futatsu

10 and 2 obj.

13

towo amari mitu

tô amari mittsu

10 and 3 obj.

14

towo amari yotu

tô amari yottsu

10 and 4 obj.

15

towo amari itutu

tô amari itsutsu

10 and 5 obj.

16

towo amari mutu

tô amari muttsu

10 and 6 obj.

17

towo amari nanatu

tô amari nanatsu

10 and 7 obj.

18

towo amari yatu

tô amari yattsu

10 and 8 obj.

19

towo amari kokonotu

tô amari kokonotsu

10 and 9 obj.

20

patati

hatachi

20 obj.*

21

patati amari pitotu

hatachi amari hitotsu

20 obj.* and 1 obj.

22

patati amari putatu

hatachi amari futatsu

20 obj.* and 2 obj.

23

patati amari mitu

hatachi amari mittsu

20 obj.* and 3 obj.

24

patati amari yotu

hatachi amari yottsu

20 obj.* and 4 obj.

25

patati amari itutu

hatachi amari itsutsu

20 obj.* and 5 obj.

26

patati amari mutu

hatachi amari muttsu

20 obj.* and 6 obj.

27

patati amari nanatu

hatachi amari nanatsu

20 obj.* and 7 obj.

28

patati amari yatu

hatachi amari yattsu

20 obj.* and 8 obj.

29

patati amari kokonotu

hatachi amari kokonotsu

20 obj.* and 9 obj.

30

misodi

misoji

3 × 10† obj.*

31

misodi amari pitotu

misoji amari hitotsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

32

misodi amari putatu

misoji amari futatsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

33

misodi amari mitu

misoji amari mittsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

34

misodi amari yotu

misoji amari yottsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

35

misodi amari itutu

misoji amari itsutsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

36

misodi amari mutu

misoji amari muttsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

37

misodi amari nanatu

misoji amari nanatsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

38

misodi amari yatu

misoji amari yattsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

39

misodi amari kokonotu

misoji amari kokonotsu

3 × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

40

yosodi

yosoji

4 × 10† obj.*

41

yosodi amari pitotu

yosoji amari hitotsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

42

yosodi amari putatu

yosoji amari futatsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

43

yosodi amari mitu

yosoji amari mittsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

44

yosodi amari yotu

yosoji amari yottsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

45

yosodi amari itutu

yosoji amari itsutsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

46

yosodi amari mutu

yosoji amari muttsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

47

yosodi amari nanatu

yosoji amari nanatsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

48

yosodi amari yatu

yosoji amari yattsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

49

yosodi amari kokonotu

yosoji amari kokonotsu

4 × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

50

isodi

isoji

5* × 10† obj.*

51

isodi amari pitotu

isoji amari hitotsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

52

isodi amari putatu

isoji amari futatsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

53

isodi amari mitu

isoji amari mittsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

54

isodi amari yotu

isoji amari yottsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

55

isodi amari itutu

isoji amari itsutsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

56

isodi amari mutu

isoji amari muttsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

57

isodi amari nanatu

isoji amari nanatsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

58

isodi amari yatu

isoji amari yattsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

59

isodi amari kokonotu

isoji amari kokonotsu

5* × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

60

musodi

musoji

6 × 10† obj.*

61

musodi amari pitotu

musoji amari hitotsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

62

musodi amari putatu

musoji amari futatsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

63

musodi amari mitu

musoji amari mittsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

64

musodi amari yotu

musoji amari yottsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

65

musodi amari itutu

musoji amari itsutsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

66

musodi amari mutu

musoji amari muttsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

67

musodi amari nanatu

musoji amari nanatsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

68

musodi amari yatu

musoji amari yattsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

69

musodi amari kokonotu

musoji amari kokonotsu

6 × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

70

nanasodi

nanasoji

7 × 10† obj.*

71

nanasodi amari pitotu

nanasoji amari hitotsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

72

nanasodi amari putatu

nanasoji amari futatsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

73

nanasodi amari mitu

nanasoji amari mittsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

74

nanasodi amari yotu

nanasoji amari yottsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

75

nanasodi amari itutu

nanasoji amari itsutsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

76

nanasodi amari mutu

nanasoji amari muttsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

77

nanasodi amari nanatu

nanasoji amari nanatsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

78

nanasodi amari yatu

nanasoji amari yattsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

79

nanasodi amari kokonotu

nanasoji amari kokonotsu

7 × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

80

yasodi

yasoji

8 × 10† obj.*

81

yasodi amari pitotu

yasoji amari hitotsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

82

yasodi amari putatu

yasoji amari futatsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

83

yasodi amari mitu

yasoji amari mittsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

84

yasodi amari yotu

yasoji amari yottsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

85

yasodi amari itutu

yasoji amari itsutsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

86

yasodi amari mutu

yasoji amari muttsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

87

yasodi amari nanatu

yasoji amari nanatsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

88

yasodi amari yatu

yasoji amari yattsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

89

yasodi amari kokonotu

yasoji amari kokonotsu

8 × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

90

kokonosodi

kokonosoji

9 × 10† obj.*

91

kokonosodi amari pitotu

kokonosoji amari hitotsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 1 obj.

92

kokonosodi amari putatu

kokonosoji amari futatsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 2 obj.

93

kokonosodi amari mitu

kokonosoji amari mittsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 3 obj.

94

kokonosodi amari yotu

kokonosoji amari yottsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 4 obj.

95

kokonosodi amari itutu

kokonosoji amari itsutsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 5 obj.

96

kokonosodi amari mutu

kokonosoji amari muttsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 6 obj.

97

kokonosodi amari nanatu

kokonosoji amari nanatsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 7 obj.

98

kokonosodi amari yatu

kokonosoji amari yattsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 8 obj.

99

kokonosodi amari kokonotu

kokonosoji amari kokonotsu

9 × 10† obj.* and 9 obj.

100

momo

momo

100

* Different form
† Different word

Note:
The suffixes "tu", "ti", and "di" (modern "tsu", "chi", and "ji") were used to count general objects. This is similar to the number system of Ainu.